Matter of Trust
by Nero-Moore
Summary: He let her down and broke a promise. Will he be able to live with himself? Better yet, will Jackie even let him live when she finds out? TenRose NEWLY REVAMPED CHAPTER TWO!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Doctor Who is owned by BBC and Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber & Donald Wilson. David Tennant and Billie Piper both own themselves.  
**Author's Note:** Popped into my head while reading "Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. Since I didn't like the way my first Doctor Who story turned out, I'm hoping that this one will be better.

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He'd broken the promise; the words just kept taunting him as the lights flashed across the night and the sirens sounded. Everything was hazy, the loud noises just whispered as they hit his ears. Nothing mattered right now, just the beautiful blonde in front of him and the fact that he'd completely betrayed her…He'd done it to his people once before and now, he had done it again to the one person he'd give anything for. Her ragged breaths and piercing screams from hours before still rang fresh in his mind and though he'd tried everything to rid the thoughts from his brain, they stuck there, like horrible leaches, sucking away every ounce of sanity he had left. 

Then it all stopped and everything came rushing at him full force. The ambulance had parked at it's destination, the sirens reached his ears within milliseconds, the men around him all ambled from the back, shouting words that he didn't understand in the least bit. It wasn't as though he couldn't understand the medical jargon that made most patients confused, it was just that without her nothing seemed to make sense, whether the knowledge was with him or not. The one thing that he did know was that he needed to stay with her and through much protest, he walked alongside the gurney, his large hand gripping tightly to her small, frail one. All the color that had once lit up her cheeks had been drained with the blood that now stained the steel grating of the TARDIS. She'd probably have it cleaned up by the time he returned, not wanting him to have that horrid reminder to come back to. Little did his beautiful machine know, it was all he could think about, with or without the actual sight of it.

"I'm sorry, sir. This is as far as we're allowed to take you."

"But I need to stay with her…I promised her, I wasn't going to leave her."

"Sir, we're going to need you take a seat in the waiting room." Normally he would have put up a fight, showing them the psychic paper in the end, watching every move the surgeon made as scalpel met flesh. It would be too painful though to watch someone cut the same milky flesh that he longed to touch himself. Besides, he was too tired to fight, so he held up hands in defense and made his way to the row of uncomfortable looking chairs. All around him were families and from the looks of the members, they'd been there quite a while, all eyes red and puffy, sleepiness drifting from person to person as they huddled together for support more then warmth. They could be waiting for anyone: Mothers, Fathers, Aunts, Uncles, Grandmothers, Grandfathers; he was just waiting for her. A few minutes passed, the families all glancing up hopefully as a doctor emerged from the E.R., but he just kept his head down, the images still flashing in his mind. They were all so vivid like a the pictures from the movie screens. He would give anything to press the fast-forward button, to peek ahead to the Hollywood ending just to see if their story would be a tragedy or a romance.

The doctor from before had motioned a nurse to him and stood, but a few feet from the chair. They talked in hushed voices as though he wouldn't hear them, but every word reached his ears crystal clear.

"This is who was with Ms. Tyler, yes?"

"That's right, doctor. He hasn't told us anything involving himself or the case, he's just been sitting there."

"Thank you. I'll handle it."

"Will he be alright?" The young nurse's voice made him remember something that he loved most about those silly apes that wandered this planet. Their hope was something that he was intrigued at. Even with all the war, murder, accidents and carnage in the world, you were still able to find people with a small light of hope in their hearts. This rang true in her words and he guessed that she was new. If it were anyone experienced they would have known that no matter how much hope that you have in something or someone, the wreck of the world would start to drain you eventually. It just hadn't hit her yet, with her rosy cheeks, her sparkling eyes and her light of hope. It would though and that thought made him frown. Had he made her light go out? Was his broken promise enough to leave her a twisted mess?

He was suddenly torn from his thoughts as the doctor took a few steps towards him and his feet fell into the line of vision that was still locked on the cold tile floors.

"Excuse me, are you with Ms. Rose Tyler?" A slight nod was all her received as an answer, but that was enough for him to press on. "Anyone we should contact?" Another nod before his mouth opened once and then shut, trying again a few moments later.

"Jackie…her mum." The voice sounded foreign, but he knew that it was his own. The tiredness and sorrow coating it with something unfamiliar.

"Thank you." That was the consolation that he got. That's the only consolation that he ever got, no matter how many planets he saved. That's all he'd get this time too, even though the result had been a deadly blow to both of his hearts. The people wouldn't care what or who had been sacrificed…just that they were safe.

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**Author's Note:** Just a short prologue to get you interested and hopefully it worked. If you'd like this to continue, definitely with longer chapters, click the little purple button. Next chapter will include familiar faces, promise. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Holy crap. I must have done something right since I got a lot of reviews and story alerts on that prologue. I thank you guys so much and I'll have a comment section at the bottom in case you asked any questions. Hope you enjoy the first chapter and like I promised, familiar face!

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The Doctor didn't know how long he sat in that uncomfortable chair. Doctor Michaels had left, probably return to the Emergency Room, but he barely noticed. The weeping coming from the woman on his left had stopped. He didn't know if she left or if she just didn't have the energy anymore. Speaking of energy, he felt horrible, his mind stuffed up with images of that bastard. His ears rang with the screams and cries from Rose. His wrists stung as he remembered trying to wretch his arms free, the cold steel being completely unforgiving. They'd left cuts and bruising on his wrists, which Doctor Michaels insisted that they check out, but he'd refused. His body had become dead weight and everything inch from his feet to his head felt cold, like he was just numb. 

Voices reached his ears from the entrance hall, both extremely familiar. One was Doctor Michaels as he explained Rose's condition. She was still in surgery, but everything was going well. The other voice was feminine, completely coated in tears, urgency and worry. She was here, the woman that he'd been afraid to face this entire time. If the situation were different, he would have joked that he was afraid of getting slapped, but not this time. This time, he was terrified to see her face. Her eyes would hold pure hatred that he got away with a few scratches while her angel lay lying on a cold, hard operating table.

As the door swung open, the Doctor stood and he watched as she entered. It was like slow-motion as she continued to cling onto every word that came from Doctor Michaels' mouth. She was dressed in black sweatpants and a white tank top, her large black winter jacket was pulled tightly around her. It must have still been snowing since small dots of white dotted her blonde hair. The only reason he knew it was snowing in the first place was because he was the one to carry her limp body outside, to watch as drops fell from the various cuts on her body, staining the snow black.

He shook his head, trying to erase the horrible image from his mind. It would still be there though, taunting him whenever he closed his eyes. Her vacant eyes would be the ones staring straight through him when he blinked. The Doctor turned his attention back to Jackie though, just as she thanked Doctor Michaels. Then, as she turned, he finally got his first good look at her. Her eyes were red and puffed, lips quivering as salty tears run down her cheeks.

She slowly walked up to him, all sadness gone from her face and replaced with a sense of rage. The Doctor knew that this was coming, the blame, the cursing, the tears, everything. He'd promised to Jackie that he'd bring her home, he'd keep her safe. It all just seemed like words now and none of it matter.

Jackie spoke one word, "You". She then launched at him, her small fists banging away at his chest as she screamed in the now empty waiting room. The other families had gone home, but he knew that it didn't matter, since she would have done it anyway. She wasn't hurting him, so when the nurses stepped forward, the Doctor just shook his head, let her get her rage out, let her know that he hated himself much more then she hated him. She continued to pound till her energy gave up and she fell forward, tears pouring from her face. He cradled her against his chest and stroked her hair, much like he did to Rose after a particularly horrible dream. She didn't pull back either, she couldn't do it, didn't have the energy. He didn't know why, he didn't need to, he just had to hold her, make sure that she was safe.

Jackie acted tough, had that stiff upper-lip, but when it came to her daughter, she was just a mum. And now that Rose was hurt, was in some sort of danger, skirting death, she was so scared. Once the sobs subsided and the tears just poured like rivers down her cheeks, her petite frame still shook like she was in the Antarctic. The Doctor knew there would be no helping her with that though. It was just reality hitting her square in the stomach. It was the same reality that had hit the Doctor before, the reality that caused him to stare at a floor for God-knows how long. It was the reality that Rose might not make it out alive this time. It made him sick and his stomach clenched at the thought that he might not ever see her sparkling eyes roll at a stupid comment or watch her get excited over getting to try on a new outfit from the TARDIS or get that warmth through his body when she teased him, her smile coy as her tongue stuck out from between her teeth. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he'd never hear her voice begging him to take him to her mum's for Christmas or even if he never got to feel another stinging slap from Jackie about how stupid he'd been to take her to Mars or Jupiter.

Jackie continued to sit in his arms for at least a half an hour with no word from Doctor Michaels or the other staff members. A few more people wandered in and took seats, their sympathetic glances making the Doctor uncomfortable, but he wasn't about to leave her. A little after an hour of crouching, she stood, her body stiff, not making any move to pull back from the comforting hug he still had her in. She just needed contact, needed to know that someone was there, that she wasn't alone in this horrible place with these horrible feelings by herself.

And when she finally spoke, her voice was hoarse and weak, too weak for the Doctor to hear, but the second time around it became clear.

"I'm so sorry…" That was his line, he figured that he'd be the one telling her that, understanding if she hated him afterward. Instead it was coming from her lips. "What are we going to do?" He hadn't thought about it truthfully, but he couldn't give her a shrug, that was something you did in an unimportant decision, something that you did when a life wasn't involved.

"We're going to take a walk…" That was his brilliant answer and for the first time in an hour, Jackie pulled a bit away from him. There was a questioning look in her eyes for a moment, but suddenly she nodded, pulled away and lead the way out of the emergency room.

"We'll be right back." The young nurse from before nodded and continued her work on the computers as he followed Jackie outside. She was standing there, a few feet from the entrance, the white flakes dotting her all over as they continued to drift lazily out of the sky. It wasn't too harsh, just nice, gentle and simple. It starting dotting the Doctor as well when he stepped from out of the landing to stand next to her, an arm placed around her shoulder as they looked up at the sparkling stars. It reminded him of Christmas a year ago, they'd stood just like this as he explained all of the trouble that they just had to go searching for. It was that same trouble that lead them here to this night.

"Doctor?"

"Hmm?" He asked as she glanced up at him, a sad smile crossing her features before she kissed him on the cheek.

"I don't hate you…" Though she'd probably think he was lying, those were the best words that she could have said to him. He didn't hate her either, though it seemed like that a lot of the time. He just always thought that that was how she felt since he took Rose away and now this happened. To hear those four words, his heart felt a little less heavy.

"Thank you, Jackie."

"And I'm sorry I hit you."

"I deserved it."

Her head shook violently back and forth and he was afraid that she'd fall over if it went any harder, but she finally stopped and looked up at him to speak.

"No, no it's not. Don't say that, don't you dare." Tears welled up in her eyes again, "I was just so confused and I wanted to hate you for taking her from me, for separating us. They already took Pete and all that was left was my little Rose. She wasn't little though, was she? That's why I hit you, I hoped that I could take all my anger out on you and everything would just go away. Then I saw you just standing there and I realized that you were just as broken as I was."

"Jackie, it's okay if you're angry. I completely deser-"

"Just stop right there. I'm not angry. I was, sure, a year ago when that telephone box disappeared and I thought that you'd taken her forever from me. But you came back and that's when I knew that I could trust you. Rose needed to see the world and you showed it to her, that and more. Do you know how much I wanted her to get out of London? But she refused, it was one excuse after the other about money or her job, but I knew it was because of me, because she was scared to leave me." A tear fell down her cheek and she hastily wiped it from her face, almost angry at herself for getting sentimental. She seemed lost in thought, her eyes staring at a single point on the snow covered ground, like she'd locked onto a single snowflake. Then a smile emerged and she looked up at him. "You should hear the way she talks about you, about your adventures. She loves it and I think that's all I really wanted, for her to love life. And I think she did."

"Does." The questioning look in her eyes made the Doctor step forward and take her hand before looking her in the eyes, "And I think she does. Present tense. We're not going to lose her." There was a sternness in voice, like he was trying to convince Jackie, himself, the hospital and even the world that those words were true.

"I used to think that you were rubbing off on her, but I think she's done the same."

"How do you mean?" It was now the Doctor's turned to be confused. How had Rose rubbed off on him at all? He was still loud, rude, out-going and overly peppy in the morning compared to Rose's soft, yet independent personality and that fact that she was a complete lazy bum in the morning.

"I believe that was a hopefulness in your voice. Was it not?" A smile rose up on the Doctor's face as he hugged her tightly to him. She was right. That same light that he'd scorned the young nurse for having in a time like this had just presented itself in his own voice, turning it strong and determined to walk with Rose from this hospital.

"You're quite right, Mrs. Tyler. And it's getting a bit cold, so why don't we head in?" He turned and headed for the door, the winter chill getting to him. He'd rather be back inside where it was warm, where he'd be able to hear anything about Rose.

"What happened?" The question made him freeze in his spot. He'd been dreading it since the nurse first talked to Doctor Michaels, telling him that he wouldn't say anything about what happened. Telling what happened would make him remember everything and he'd have to tear down every wall in his mind. The sudden contact of Jackie's hand on his own made him jump, he hadn't even heard her make her way over, her footsteps silent in the snow. "It's okay and you owe me that…"

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**Author's Note:** Well, there it is. Hope it didn't disappoint and PLEASE review. That's obviously what keeps me going. I seriously wish you could have seen my face when I saw all the reviews and things! The big event will be next chapter: WHAT HAPPENED TO ROSE! It's quite upsetting, so be warned and bring tissues. Till next time.  
  
Reviews  
**Gaiafreedom21/Gilari: **As you can see, Rose isn't dead! I love her too much to kill her off, but she is hurt. Love Gaia also, by the way.  
**Aruora.Grissom: **Well it's definitely TenRose, which I love also. Glad I peaked your interest. And I'm guessing you're a CSI fan? Greg's my love.  
**Bex19/Inwe Tasartir/scme/Teh Shiny Fox: **Hope this was quick enough for you guys and I hope you enjoyed it!  
**Gaiafreedom21/gerardsredskittle666/grey lady of gallifrey/jewlz-sheridan: **Thanks for adding this to your favorites!  
**Fury Seven Kerrigan/Gilari/Teh Shiny Fox/campbellk2/gaiafreedom21/gerardsredskittle666/reddwarfaddict/scme:** Thanks for adding this to your story alert!


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Wow! Don't know if anyone is still interested in this, but this was basically one of my most well-received stories. My only issue, the reason it's been sitting on the shelf for three years was that honestly this chapter used to have an INSANE amount of plot holes. Like it was truly, truly sad that I didn't realize it. Mostly just the fact how the villain got onto the TARDIS without the Doctor realizing it and how he got on at all since it's like mega-tight security. ANYWAY, I ended up thinking of an idea, as I glanced over it tonight, debating on deleting it and thought better of it! I instead decided to rewrite a bit of this chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Also, major warning that this was an intensely graphic and majorly sad scene that was really hard to write.

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Jackie did deserve the story, but the Doctor wasn't sure if he was fully ready to give it to her. She'd have to hear of how stupid he'd been, of how he should have protected Rose better. He never wanted it to turn out this way and still that bastard had gotten to her. He barely registered the touch of her hand as she lightly led him somewhere. His body felt numb and cold, even as she led him into the hospital doors again, into the warmth. Nothing reached his body and it never would until he knew that Rose was safe, that she'd be okay.

He opened his eyes and regained focus, blinking a few times at the blurred shapes. They were now in a completely different room, one that he hadn't been used to seeing, unlike the waiting room. The Doctor had been in there for so long that he could tell you every detail, including how many tiles were on the floor and ceiling combined. Now, they were in an actual patient's room, the two beds were bare and it made him shiver a bit thinking that someone had once occupied them. They had either lived or died, though the latter seemed more reasonable. Rose had admitted to him once that she was scared of hospitals, that she automatically associated them with death, that this was where you came to die. She was going to be the exception though. There were few of them in a place like this, but she'd be that one…

The sound of Jackie clearing her throat brought him from those beautiful memories of just being with her and he nodded. The Doctor knew that it'd come to this moment when everything would come rushing back.

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"Are you sure you set the coordinates?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Are you really sure?"

"Yup, really sure!"

"Really, reall-"

"I'm sure…" With a sigh the Doctor began fiddling with TARDIS controls and Rose just grinned at him. She trusted that he did in fact set the controls, but watching him get all huffy was one of the joys in her life. The Doctor had learned that whenever she'd bring up the embarrassing moment of their dance, which though he'd sworn he'd never talk about again, he still felt warm inside remembering her smile and the way she laughed as the two waltzed around the TARDIS. Now, this was another one of their oh-so-wonderful adventures and he'd promised her a trip to see the Beatles. Their concerts never seemed to work out, hence the reason she was asking about the coordinates. First time it was going to see Ian Jury and the Blockheads and they'd landed a hundred years before the punk band in Scotland. Then it had been Elvis and the time was right, but it was London instead of New York, which proved to be a bit of a problem.

"Rose, hand me that hyper generated ectoplasmic time-" Her blank stare as he spoke said it all and he cut himself short, "The shiny, blinky thing next to your hoodie."

"Ohh…" she said with realization as she handed the tool off to him. Down into the guts of the TARDIS he went after that and Rose just rolled her eyes.

"What?" he asked, an innocent look crossing his face.

"You're trying to fix the unbroken again…" The TARDIS beeped aggressively in response and the Doctor sighed before shoving himself back up through the hole in the console.

"Fine, fine. Two against one, I guess I'm outnumbered."

"You ever wonder if this is why she suddenly likes to drop you places?"

It was as though the TARDIS had taken Rose's advice to heart since they made a sudden jerk in another direction and they both groped for something to keep them on their feet. By the time they actually landed, the warning lights and buzzers had gone off and the Doctor was holding Rose in the crook of one arm, while the other was holding tightly onto the center console so they'd be kept upright.

"You okay?" he asked with a crazy smile. To Rose he looked like a kid at an amusement park that he'd soon ask to do that again and again while she got sick to her stomach. But not wanting to alarm him over nothing, she shook her head and raised a shaky hand to straighten out her pink hoodie and her blonde hair that was flung every which way. "Fantastic! Now, let's see what caused this little joy-ride…" Heading over to his familiar spot by the controls, he began pressing buttons and pulling levers and to this day, Rose could barely figure it out. It spoke in symbols that she didn't know the meaning of, the TARDIS helping her out every once in a while when she desperately needed to know. But now, as she stood on her tip-toes, peering over the Doctor's shoulder, the screen told her nothing except that the big wheel was turning clockwise while the small wheel just sat there and the numbers 152 also had something to do with it.

"Oh…" he said, a curious look crossing his face as he read another line and pulled the thick-rimmed glasses from his face.

"And 'oh' means?"

"Well it's usually used in an expression of surprise, pain, disapprobation, but in this case it means that we're not actually in 1964 at the beginning of Beatlemania…" He walked away after that, but it wasn't exactly the answer that Rose was looking for, so she followed him as he made his way towards the door of the TARDIS. "I'll be back and I need you to stay here."

"That's funny…" she said as she began to head towards the door again, but the stern look on the Doctor's face stopped her. "You serious? If it's so bad for me out there, what makes you think I'm gonna let you just waltz outta here?"

"Cause I'm pretty?" The Doctor's voice got higher as the question was asked and his eyebrows were raised in that hopeful way that Rose couldn't help, but smile at.

"Nice try, but-" Her sentence was cut off at the sudden sound of rushed footsteps and she glanced over in time to see the Doctor grab his long trenchcoat. But even the element of surprise couldn't shake Rose as she rushed up behind him and squeezed out the door.

The Doctor had a good reason for Rose staying on the ship, despite her disobeying and it came to him the moment that the name of the planet popped up on the screen, Kdarlett. It was a random planet that had no real beginning. Well, it did, but anyone that actually remembered it had died long ago. It had even been the 945 years before the Doctor, and that was saying something. Kdarlett was a merchant planet or as a lot of people called it, a market. There were different sections, some shops for remedies, some for jokes, some for sweets, some for jewelry and even a section for the dark.

He'd been here once before and even glancing at the dark section caused a ripple of fear and panic to shoot up his spine. Things that made a man like him shiver were worth keeping Rose away from. Sure, the old man was probably feeble by now or he'd forgotten what the Doctor had even done. As he wandered around the stores, checking corners and allies without even realizing it, he realized how frightened he was that Jakob hadn't died, that he was now in power, like he'd sworn when he'd bought the whole place a drink at the disgusting bar that still housed the homeless drunks.

In a very Rose fashion, her attention was pulled in some other direction by the word: jewelry and the Time Lord had no choice, but to toddle off with her. The stand was run by an old woman with a kind face, gesturing at them to come closer and see the many items that she had to offer.

"For a nice price too…" the Doctor commented with a grin. Why not do a little shopping? And he saw just the thing in her stand, a silver necklace that held a single-stone the size of a quarter. It was black now, but much like a mood ring, it responded to how you were feeling. The only difference was that this was a lot more accurate. According to the mood ring that Rose had gotten at some silly festival back home, you could be blue, which meant happy, even if someone came over and told you that you're dog had passed. Handing the woman some coins, she passed over the necklace and immediately he tossed it over to the blonde who had been looking at something else here or there.

Passing two more stands, the hair stood up on the back of the Time Lord's neck. He glanced around casually, but found nothing out of the ordinary. People here and there were bartering for lower prices, Rose was grinning and playing with her new necklace and…well that wasn't right. Two men leaned against the wall in a pathetically failed attempt at looking casual. A single look over and he'd been able to spot the bulky scanning devices attached to their wrists. Though one looked at the ground and the other scanned the crowd, it wasn't hard for him to catch the glances they kept throwing in his direction. His arm immediately went around his companion who glanced up, her forehead creasing slightly in worry.

"Doctor?"

"It's fine. Just a bit of a thing. May need to do some of that running you love so much."

As if by themselves, his feet suddenly began taking the two of them across the market toward a small alley. The men waited a moment before beginning to follow. And just as they reached the edge, ever so slightly obscured by the crowd, he grasped Rose's hand tightly and they took off. The adrenaline pumped through the two of them as their feet slapped against the dirt causing small clouds of dust around them. The Doctor led them this way and that until they found themselves in a quiet part of the town, complete with fountain and all. They stopped a minute to catch their breaths, as Rose looked ready to pass out, her cheeks tinted crimson.

"And that was?"

"Nothing…nothing, don't worry." He peeked over her shoulder as relaxed, closing her eyes and was content when he saw no one following them up. Prepared to do the same behind him, The Doctor had no time to react as a his face directly met with something quite hard; he was out for the count.

* * *

"Rose?" His throat felt dry from being unused, but he quickly swallowed before attempting it again, "Rose?" The room was dark and he couldn't see five feet in front of him, let alone where his companion was.

"Missing something?" The voice sent shivers up his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck were standing straight up.

"Jakob…" the Doctor whispered, courage with a small hint of fear behind it. He turned and his throat tightened as he took the scene before him in. There was his beautiful Rose, her hands tied cruelly behind her back and his disgusting hand cupping her mouth, forcing her not to speak. Her mascara was smeared around her eyes and he could tell that the tears had already come. "Let her go…" The warning in the Doctor's voice was grave and if looks could kill, the man before him would be dead and buried twice over. It was that same stern tone that took over whenever Rose was harmed, disrespected or even talked about in the wrong way. He couldn't tell you why, but you harm her, physically, emotionally, mentally, you were then going to have to deal with him, the blood pumping through his veins.

"Or you'll what? Kill me too!"

"Not unless you give me good reason…" he said, struggling under the rope binds he found himself under. The chair was weak and could be broken with enough force…but so could Rose's neck.

"Did my brother, Alex give you good reason?"

"He gave me great reason!"

"BULLSHIT!"

"HE WAS GOING TO KILL HER!" The images flashed in front of his mind of his first trip here. He'd come with Sarah Jane, the two stopping before going to head out. She was thirsty and he could have done with some food. It was there that they had met Jakob and Alex, two brothers with a passion for drinking, women and power. They swore that they'd own this planet someday and obviously, Jakob had succeed, while his brother lay six feet under. Alex had taken to Sarah Jane, but the girl obviously didn't feel the same way, not even a physical attraction. As Jakob chatted with the Doctor, in awe of the man's Time Lord lineage, Alex tried over and over with the man's companion. After denying him for the fourth time that night, his feelings were hurt and Sarah was ready to leave. After a few drinks, Alex didn't hesitate following the two of them back to the TARDIS. In the alley, he acted quickly, taking Sarah Jane by the throat. It was then over in the blink of an eye, grabbing something hard and heavy from a nearby dumpster, the Doctor hit the man over the head with it. Before either of them knew it there was blood leaking from the Alex's head…he was dead. Sarah Jane's jaw dropped as she looked up at him, the time traveler's eyes cold and dark. The Doctor stopped talking for two weeks after that and then it was never spoken of again.

Now here he was again, the other brother holding another woman that was closer to him then she'd ever know. His gaze shifted from the man to Rose and she pleaded with her eyes, but it wasn't a plea to help her, but a plea to get out and run, to keep himself from getting in harm's way for her. That's just how Rose was and he shook his head, he wouldn't leave her here.

"What's wrong Doctor? What will you do if her blood is on your hands?"

"Just keep her out of this!"

"But what if! Will you be able to let her coffin rest on your conscience?"

Both men were screaming now, their anger reverberating off the walls as Rose stood silently, images running through her mind of how everything was going to end. The sudden action of Jakob pushing Rose to the floor was enough to send a volt through his body that made his eyes see red, pure hatred for the man in front of him. He gave no indication just struggled and eventually the chair broke. Jakob took the opportunity to kick the Doctor square in the skull. His head stung and tears welled up, but he wouldn't stop. The Time Lord grabbed the man by the leg and delivered a blow to his stomach. The fists flew and as the Doctor kicked Jakob away, they both stood, ready for another round, blood dripping from the fat lip that Jakob received and the wound on the back of the Doctor's head. There was a savageness between them, but like every enemy, Jakob had something else coming and a small box was revealed. It suddenly shot out at the Doctor and his whole body fell to the floor in convulsions. Electricity pulsed through him making it feel like his veins were on fire and then it just stopped and he laid there, unable to even think about moving. It hurt to breath and the last thing that he saw before his eyelids became too heavy was Rose falling to her knees to check on him and that bastard smashing the device against the back of her head, her torso smacking the ground with a sickening thud.

* * *

That thud haunted him like the steady thumping of a heartbeat until the Doctor finally opened his eyes. He was still woozy and everything was blurred. Who knows how long it had been, where they were or whether Jakob had stayed around to fight again. Then fire shot through his ribs and snippets began to come back to him. He'd woken up twice throughout everything and each time, it just got worse, though he was only able to keep his head up for a moment or two. The first time he was being handcuffed to a nearby stairwell; Rose sat off on a chair. His head felt heavy, but he spit out a few choice words at Jakob, immediately begging to take them back as he wandered over to the precious girl seated, but a few feet away. The Doctor couldn't reach her, so instead he just had to wait for darkness to take over him as he watched Jakob flick the ashes of his cigarette onto her beautiful skin.

* * *

The second time had been worse. The Doctor awoke to the sounds of horror. There was a mix of sobs and screams in the air, screams that were all too familiar to him. The moment her name rang out in his head, he sat up, struggling desperately against the unforgiving steel of the handcuffs. Rose still sat just a few feet away, her body now had little, shallow cuts littering it. Palms, chest, feet, legs, nothing was free of blood and the sight made a sob rise up in the back of his throat. The Doctor began pleading, as it was the only thing he could do and Rose's voice was too hoarse from screaming, he just begged, promised anything. Jakob wouldn't listen though, he was a man possessed…and it was all his fault.

Just looking at Jakob and Alex together you could tell that they were close, more so then regular brothers. They had been through many things together and losing Alex was like losing his other half. For years, he had to deal with the thought that he couldn't protect his brother and he'd been plotting how to drag the Doctor down into that hell with him. Then his moment came, he saw the Doctor leave the TARDIS with the pretty blonde, she had become his revenge. And that led him here, teaching the Doctor what it meant to die inside, to lose your other half. Darkness over took him, just as the cutting stopped and he let his hand run up and down the cut fabric of her jeans. Each time his hand touched bare skin, Rose would flinch and as images began to blur, he knew what would happen to his Rose.

* * *

The third and final time that his eyes willed open, he found himself no longer handcuffed, but flat on the cool dusty ground. A small light from an upper doorway caught his eye and his head felt heavy, like someone had dropped a piano on him and this was the dreadful after-effects. The room was spinning way too fast and as he tried to stand, tried to remember the horrible dream that he'd just had, his eyes fell on someone that made his blood run cold. Her new pink hoodie was ripped and laid a few feet from her body, her jeans torn off by greedy, grimy fingers and as he got closer, it just got worse. The sight of the dried blood that caked her body from the cuts, how pale her skin had gotten, the blonde hair that was matted thanks to blood, mascara and tears, and mostly, the way she shivered sent the Doctor to his knees, bent over as the dry-heaves clenched his stomach and made his throat burn with bile and nothing more. He crawled over to her, quickly snatching his jacket off the nearby ground to wrap around her petite frame, before gently resting her head in his lap. The TARDIS knew from the jumbled thoughts in his mind what needed to be done and it automatically materialized around them before setting the course for Cardiff.

His hand traced her worn and battered face, something he dreamed about when she was alive and well. Her blonde hair was slowly tinting red from the blood coming from cuts and wounds that he couldn't find…couldn't fix. A sob rose up in his chest and he tightly shut his eyes, praying that 'out of sight, out of mind' would work this time around, never even noticing the small intake of breathe or the way that she began breathing heavily before trying to form a sentence.

"D-Doctor?" Her voice was so weak that it frightened him and his eyes were wide before he answered her, his voice just as shaky.

"Y-Yeah Rose, I'm here. It's gonna be o-okay."

"It hurts…"

"What does?"

"Everything."

"I know, I know, sweetheart, but I'm here now, you're gonna be fine." Lowering his head, his lips touched the top of her forehead that was slick with sweat, no doubt from the pain that had coursed through her body. "You were so strong, you were amazing. You're gonna pull out of this, I promise."

"We going home?" Her voice was getting weaker by the second and the Doctor didn't hesitate to tell her that they were on their way, that she just had to hang in a bit longer.

"Tell mum that I'm so sorry, that I never wanted to leave her, that nothings her fault. And Mickey, take him with you. Tell him-"

"Stop it, Rose! You'll be able to tell them all yourself because you're going to be fine. And I'm gonna take you to Barcelona and we'll come home for dinner or tea every Friday night and we'll finally get to see the Beatles. And if you're wondering how I know all this, it's because I know you…because I know that if you don't pull out of this…I'm just gonna fade out." By the time he was finished, his voice was cracking, trails of tears left shiny paths down his thin face, showing weakness that he usually tried to hide behind fake smiles and comments.

"Doctor?" He couldn't even answer her, so he gently stroke her head, trying to calm her, to stop her from saying anything that could bring the thought into his head that she wouldn't be there forever, like she promised. Though he supposed if he could break a promise to protect her, she was more than able to break a promise to stay. "You were fantastic…"

* * *

**A/N:** So there it was, not tons changed, but enough to eliminate some plot holes, hopefully. If anyone is still interested in this, please review and I'll be happy to continue on with this. If not, I'm afraid this story may hit the graveyard!


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